No Deal? Bring it on

The concept of a No Deal Brexit has gone through several stages. First, we had to sit through months of former prime minister Theresa May failing to believe her own statement that ‘No Deal is better than a bad deal’. Then we had Remainers constantly reminding us that No Deal wasn’t even one of the options in the 2016 referendum. And now, following on from this, we are stuck with the following Remoaner refrain: ‘Nobody voted for No Deal.’

No Deal has become the Brexit bogeyman. Remoaners have anthropomorphised it. They say it is a cruel and heartless beast, that it has the power to inflict misery and even to kill. From panics over food shortages to endless chatter about long lorry queues, No Deal is widely depicted as a terrible act of ‘national self-harm’.

It is necessary to cut through all this propaganda and look coolly at the prospect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal. Even if you were to believe the ravings of the most obsessive anti-Brexit campaigners, holed up in their bunkers with stacks of antibiotics and toilet roll, the potential upset that a No Deal Brexit might bring is not inextricably linked to the lack of a deal itself – rather, it would spring from the failure of government to prepare for such political and economic change.

As Fraser Myers argued on spiked recently, Operation Yellowhammer – a document spelling out some of the bad things that might happen following a No Deal – was largely created using scenarios in which the government would do absolutely nothing to help ease us through our exit from the EU. It’s a bit like missing a bus and blaming the bus instead of admitting that you didn’t get to the bus stop on time.

Despite the bleating from people like Amber Rudd, about how copious amounts of money are being spent on No Deal preparations, the truth is that the government has lacked the political will to prepare for a proper Brexit. For a clean Brexit, a hard Brexit, a No Deal Brexit, or whatever it is that Brexit is being called these days. This is why our leaving of the EU might not be as smooth as it might otherwise have been. But instead of drawing attention to officials’ incompetence, and indeed their knowing, conscious failure to prepare for No Deal, anti-Brexit campaigners argue that No Deal in itself would be a terrible thing.

Another, more important way to look at No Deal is to see it for what it really is: the only means through which Brexit can now be enacted. As the only thing that is faithful to the largest mandate in British political history – our vote to leave the EU. Anti-Brexit campaigners now use the terms ‘No Deal’ and ‘Brexit’ interchangeably and on this, at least, they are right. Because every deal we are being offered is not a proper Brexit. They are all Brexit In Name Only, as critics have pointed out.

So, Labour’s plan to concoct a ‘Soft Brexit’ – and then to campaign against it – doesn’t fulfil the people’s desire to leave the EU. And nor does Boris Johnson’s Frankensteinian version of Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement, in which the Irish backstop would be reformed a little but everything else would remain the same. Three years after the referendum, with no sign of movement from Brussels or Westminster, it is increasingly clear that the only way to get out of the EU is to leave without a deal.

This is the real reason why the political establishment is united in its fear of No Deal: because it would involve genuine political upheaval. Breaking from the EU would mean that our political leaders would have to take on the burden of being answerable to voters without being able to fall back on EU rules and regulations. Brexit – or No Deal, as it is now called – would reconfigure Britain’s political arrangements in a democratic direction. That is bad for an elite that likes to outsource politics to Brussels, but it is good for the public, who want to have a greater say in Britain’s political affairs. Brexit is a great opportunity for political change. If we can get out of the EU, who knows what would be next. Abolish the House of Lords? Maybe even the monarchy?

The anti-No-Deal brigade is afraid of change. The most ardent anti-Brexit politicians, like Anna Soubry and Chuka Umunna, won’t even put themselves up for by-elections despite changing their political allegiances, so scared are they of the people’s voice. The hostility to No Deal has nothing to do with sympathy for workers, concern about the economy, or nervousness about Irish peace – it is simply an attempt by the establishment to preserve the status quo. Those of us who think the status quo falls far short of the promise of democratic politics have nothing to fear from No Deal.

Andrew Clitheroe

For one, if your intent were truly to cut through the propaganda and take a cool look at no-deal you would not have spent two paragraphs associating the term with ‘remoaners’ to warm up your audience.

Even skipping that – where’s the substance? Two points are scraped over the remaining bread: that if the government spends enough of our money the right way the immediate damage could be reduced from worst-case, and that once it’s done our politicians will be forced to pay attention to us rather than leaning on Brussels.

For the first: the ensuing comments make the subtext clear: regardless of what happens the sensibility of no-deal is an article of faith. If it’s disastrous, it will not be through its inherent inadvisability but rather incompetence or an act of deliberate sabotage. Heads I win, tails you lose.

For the second: Relatively little legislation has come by way of the EU. Some of it has had significant effects around immigration and workers rights, but no-deal is not uniquely suited to repealing those (losing rights sounds brilliant, by the way; can’t wait). The great majority of EU regulations are technical, non-legislative, and anyone who thinks our businesses will be free to ignore those regulations after we leave isn’t in business. And if what remains rankles – who was it elected MEPs with the likes of Farage’s legendary work ethic? It says a lot when an unelected celebrity chef with a double-barrelled name has to do the job of our own man-of-the-people fisheries minister.

The EU isn’t a telly you can turn off to force MPs to concentrate on their homework. It will inspire no democratic renaissance. These grand, sweeping proclamations you’re making have no implementable detail, no connective tissue.

Most telling, though, is that which is not discussed: the vulnerable position of maximum uncertainty a no-deal exit puts us in. Or rather, it is glossed over in the usual way by calling it a ‘clean’ Brexit, as though the future can be cudgeled into focus by attaching a pleasant adjective. In the event of no-deal the ONLY thing we or UK businesses will know is that that state of affairs cannot persist. Deals will inevitably be done, from a position of maximum weakness and as a matter of maximum urgency, because great though Britain may be it cannot possibly compete globally while shackled by WTO tariffs and quotas.

Happily, we need not concern ourselves too deeply with the effect on UK businesses because the devaluation of the pound in the event of no-deal will facilitate the speedy transfer of ownership overseas. I refer any doubters to the correlation between the pound’s value, in recent months, and the perceived proximity and likelihood of a no-deal exit. I have played online shooters with a greater input-output lag.

All in all, it’s a depressingly familiar read.

C F

14th September 2019 at 4:34 pm

Perfectly concise counter thank you for sharing. I could not believe this article when reading it. The sad thing is most people won’t even reach the comments section and will take this author’s dim views as gospel.
No Deal is a disaster, end of. The majority of the people blindly shouting its the best thing are either the rich who don’t care, the naive who are misinformed, or the old who are adamant that ‘in their day’ things were better.
With the world the way it is now, we should be uniting and be proud of being part of something bigger, not breaking away from it. It’s a shame and will affect the prospects and outlooks of many generations to be born on this tiny, lonely rock.

Identity Redacted

12th September 2019 at 7:26 pm

It’s been pretty clear that they’d underprepare on purpose so there’s hardship in the ensuing years after Brexit so they can say “see we told you” and put forth a referendum to rejoin the EU. The politicians are out for their own interests not their constituents

Robert Johnson

13th September 2019 at 2:48 pm

Does that apply to Boris and present cabinet? If so, that would be a mind bender…too much for me to buy.

George Lennan

12th September 2019 at 5:57 pm

Just thought I’d mention the Podcast ad “ROD LIDDLE AND BRENDAN O’NEILL
LIVE IN LONDON” – I’m not sure living in London is much of a qualification these days :oD

Dominic Straiton

12th September 2019 at 2:33 pm

Yellow hammer…. yellow feather…..white feather.

Michael Lynch

12th September 2019 at 9:54 pm

Brilliant!

Christopher Tyson

12th September 2019 at 1:46 pm

I think that Brexit without a deal is now illegal, and proroguing of parliament is possibly illegal too. I’m not sure if the latter is illegal only when politically motivated rather than, maybe taking a bit of time off to do chores or whatever. It seems that evidence of motivation is quite vague, it’s just kind of obvious. But a law against no deal is political, actually everything that politicians do is political. Perhaps Boris has not been sufficiently convoluted and indirect. What the CIA call ‘plausible deniability’ is required. To be fair the proroguing thing was pretty obvious, actually the ‘no deal’ thing is a pretty obvious too. but political machinations are in the eye of the beholder it seems.

Harvey Setterfield

12th September 2019 at 5:38 pm

Leaving without a deal isn’t illegal. All Boris needs to do is sit on his hands, sabotage the letter asking the EU for an extension by including a separate letter saying the government isn’t interested in an extension and once 31st October has gone by we’ll leave without a deal. Why is this so? Because the MPs in Parliament voted it in once we invoked Article 50, and the text at the end of that document says that the terms of that document supersede EVERYTHING. The EU will agree to another extension though because they can’t afford to let us leave without a deal. Boris will end up getting a new deal because the EU is pretty desperate for our divorce payment and both the German and Italian economies have a very real possibility of collapsing. This isn’t hyperbole. This is why Merkel is currently filling her trousers. Proroguing Parliament is also perfectly legal too, that daft decision in Scotland will get reversed when it’s appealed.

Identity Redacted

12th September 2019 at 7:24 pm

A law created at the ninth hour to prevent a fulfilling a democratic vote may be an “official” law but it is not one that should be followed. At was done purely because remainers want to have a Brexit in name only where we will remain in the EU in everything but words

Jane 70

steve moxon

12th September 2019 at 12:02 pm

Absolutely right.
The useless establishment has plenty to be afraid of once it can’t any longer hide behind the EeUu skirt. * Ridiculously ginormous national debt they cannot get rid of other than by creating hyper-inflation. * Catastrophic global financial collapse some time soon as the whole Ponzi scheme of leverage blows up, to which there is no defence. * Total incompetence of the civil service, wasting tens if not hundreds of billions, unable to plan anything and guaranteed to “promie the moon but deliver a crater” with any and every IT system it introduces. * Effectively no immigration system at all, so no ability to prevent disastrous population rise and the import of dependency. * Completely unaffordable state pension and tax credit systems. * A wholly ineffective police and judicial system. * Stupid PFI deals further bankrupting public services. No wonder they want The EeUu in charge.
But of course there has to be added to the list: * Forthcoming implosion of the Euro and the collapse of the entire EeUu project.

Jane 70

We are being failed comprehensively by most mainstream politicians, both here and in the now, apparently sainted EU, which can do no wrong.
Secular canonisation of a greedy empire.

William Thompson

12th September 2019 at 11:51 pm

Spot on riposte Sir,
Do keep on writing – its the likes of the lack of the cut of your jib that has us in this mince.

Amelia Cantor

12th September 2019 at 10:22 am

It is disgraceful for a comfortably off journalist like Ella Whelan to argue for something that will devastate the incomes and well-being of vulnerable BAME people and communities across the UK. If there is any justice in the world, Spiked and its contributors will one day stand trial for incitement to economic racism (among much else).

The discussion in Britain has mostly missed out one of the biggest divides that the vote uncovered: 53% of White voters wanted out and 73% of Black voters wanted to stay in the EU. Black voters overwhelmingly supported staying in, not because of any love for the union but because they recognized that the driving force behind the desire to leave was racism.

steve moxon

But if they are so oppwest and out a da loop … or maybe just thick?! … Well, what’s sauce for your disgusting elitist-separatist totalitarian hate-mongering goose is …

Ven Oods

12th September 2019 at 2:37 pm

“a comfortably off journalist like Ella Whelan”

How on earth would you know that? Do you work for Cambridge Analytica?

Peter Parker

12th September 2019 at 4:36 pm

What is truly disgraceful is the constant attempt by remoaners to label their idealogical opponents as racists for simply wanting, amongst many many other things, control of our boarders and our immigration policies that benefit the whole of British society (irrespective of skin colour or ethnic background) not just the coffee-shop elites in Sloane Sq.

Uncontrolled immigration hurts the less well off, helping to keep wages down and prop up the zero hour contract ‘gig’ economy. The EU is a ‘closed shop’ protectionist cartel helping to ensure the products of many less well off, non-European countries products remain over-priced and uncompetitive. So if you really did care for the plight of the poorest societies around the world, you wouldn’t be such an ardent supporter of the EU and the crony-capitalist ecosystem that leach from it.

By the way, the stats you present as fact, from the Op-Ed piece from 2016 you cite, are lacking in any substantive sources, i.e. it provides no credibility to your argument.

Dominic Straiton

12th September 2019 at 4:38 pm

Candace Owens has a far better, and much more positive message than your flawed argument of division, spoon fed to you by your ridiculous, critical thinking free “education” ,that has done nothing for you apart from giving you an enormous amount of debt, that im sure, you want some one else to pay.

A Game

12th September 2019 at 4:57 pm

Some classic “shoot the messenger” incitement.

James Knight

12th September 2019 at 5:41 pm

If you think Brexit is disruptive, you aint seen nothing yet. Wait until you see the ideologically driven austerity agenda for “net zero emissions” being pushed by some of the most ardent Remoaners.. Already the people on the lowest incomes are being hammered thanks to increased green and consumption taxes. Never mind “yellow hammer”, the “yellow vest” movement in France was triggered by green taxes and is one of the most sustained anti-government protests movements in living memory.

Harvey Setterfield

12th September 2019 at 5:54 pm

Good grief. Seriously? Are you REALLY jumping on the All Leavers Are Racist bandwagon? For starters you singling out BAME people out in your post is, in fact, prejudiced. Secondly where are you getting the idea that we’re going to be looking at a UK apocalypse over here once we leave the EU. I suggest you relax a bit and STOP reading and believing EVERYTHING that you read and hear from these Project Fear merchants. I’m not saying it’s all going to be sunshine and rainbows by any means but we’re not going to see food shortages and people dying due to running out of medicine either. We’ll have a hard couple of years but once we get unrestricted free trade deals with the rest of the world and we stop paying the EU ridiculous amounts of money every month we’ll be a lot better off.

Michael Lynch

12th September 2019 at 10:03 pm

The racist labeling has run out of track amongst the majority of the white population. It’s quite simply cliche now, just another hackneyed and over used word. It now only works on middle class morons who disappear up their own backside at the mere mention of race division. Taking a view about people from different races is no capital offense although ethnic minorities have tried to make it one. I speak as someone Irish who lived in GB for over 40 years.

William Thompson

13th September 2019 at 12:02 am

Why its the new Godwins law. You do realise that leveling so much twisted hate under the disguise of some sort of defence against we err, well, anyone but we crackers just turns people off. Crying wolf has a really bad ending.

John Millson

12th September 2019 at 8:48 am

”If we can get out of the EU, who knows what would be next. Abolish the House of Lords? Maybe even the monarchy?” Pure delusion? How’s it going to happen? A referendum, on 50% +1 basis?
In the new Brexit-Downton-Abbey-La-La-Land, the monarchy is likely to gain more unwarranted affection, especially with people like Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg around.
The HoL has a inextricable links with the monarchy. So yes, if we wanted to reform the monarchy and the upper house, start with the upper house first and then the monarchy ‘deflates’ naturally.
All-elected second chamber and civil list restricted to the monarch and the heir only – 2 people. Look at Scandanavia, Belgium & Netherlands.

Jane 70

12th September 2019 at 11:07 am

I actually agree with your points about restricting the civil list to the monarch and the heir only; this is long overdue and would probably be welcomed by most people.

An elected second chamber would also be welcome, but you’ve only got to consider for a brief moment which of our movers and shakers would stand for election: the mind boggles. More thought required.

As to Brexit-Downton Abbey La La land; this is arrant nonsense: I’ve supported Leave since this farce began and I still do, but I’m not a fan of Downton Abbey-it doesn’t appeal to me in the slightest-and when I last looked I wasn’t living in La-la land.

This is the trouble with this divisive debate: insults, aspersions and slurs and yes, both sides do it , the Remainers taking poll position.

William Thompson

13th September 2019 at 12:19 am

It hasnt been the “civil list” for a good while now. The Sovereign grant replaced it. It is 15% of the value the Queen hands back to the exchequer from the Crown Estates revenue. It is adjusted every 5 years by the Exchequer and takes into account that the Royal Households need upkeep and maintenance – they are not the personal property of Liz and her brood. For her private residences she pays council tax and the upkeep comes from her personal estate.
The Royal Family comes in for plenty of (sometimes deserved) criticism. The alternative being President Blair or Corbyn? Not for me thanks. As an ex Matelot you must excuse my love of my Queen and even the Downton bollocks – I enjoyed Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited too 😉

Mark Bretherton

12th September 2019 at 1:08 pm

All elected second chamber? Only if the numbers where cut massively. If the yanks with 300 million people can be represented by 100 Senators, then so can we. Lets say 92 to go with the number of counties? At least people would be able to easier identify their senator. And no party affiliation, they all have to be nominally independent, so no party membership in the last 10 years.
And while we are at it, lets cull the MPs. Again, the yanks only have 435, so lets cut ours to 300 and have each one representing as near as dammit 200,000 people each.

Dominic Straiton

12th September 2019 at 7:26 pm

No one in the second chamber should have a PPE from Oxford. They have done enough damage already.

Jerry Owen

12th September 2019 at 7:35 am

For me the last chance saloon was a pact between Boris and Nigel.. it was of course not something I believed would ever happen , and it isn’t .
If Boris wanted Brexit he would do anything possible, he clearly isn’t. His ‘rather be dead in a ditch’ theatrics is a fraud and Boris himself has disappointed at every stage , a fraud.
I don’t see Brexit happening at all and haven’t for some weeks.
At least we know that the power of a government and PM in the face of opposition from the elites in politics and law is non existent.
I can’t unfortunately think of any other plus to take away from this treacherous business.

Jane 70

12th September 2019 at 8:31 am

Quite agree; farage has been dismissed, in no uncertain terms ,by number 10 :

This is very intemperate language, but also revealing: Brexit has been delayed, bent out of shape and effectively dismantled.

A Game

12th September 2019 at 5:29 pm

If it looks like a turd, smells like a turd then it must be a turd.

Unnamed advisor completely sticking the boot into the Leave cause. And whose advisor would this person be? Amber Rudd’s? He already earned this year’s bonus squealing about No Deal preparations… perhaps he’s aiming for a set of steak knives for the hell of it?
Its designed to split Leave from Boris and Cummings (that he’s mentioned, that funding is mentioned) and provoke Nige into saying something awful back.
Hang tough, Nige. Though his measured response suggests he can smell this stool from 50 paces away.
These Remainers… never a straight line of truth. Just endless machinations to pull-off a swindle.
(Having said that, I’m not discounting that they have made the decision not to work with the BP. But this early in the game, with no election even near being called, let alone having a date, would you burn that bridge? Even if you intend to burn that bridge, you sure as shit wouldn’t be declaring it in public, with juicy ad hominems to boot.)

Eric Blair

12th September 2019 at 7:23 am

So, what preparations are going to be put in place before October 31st if Boris gets his way? The time for that is long gone.
What Spiked should be concerned about is the subversion of paliamentary democracy, on which our liberties depend, not pursuing No Deal at any cost. Can you imagine that the Queen would have agreed to prorogue parliament if Jeremy Corbyn, with no parliamentary majority had gone to Elizabeth Saxe Coburg Gotha and asked her to do it. No chance. This is a right wing coup, with the proroguing part designed to silence dissent. And apparently Spiked support it.

Ven Oods

12th September 2019 at 2:32 pm

A right-wing coup that promptly offered a general election?
I suppose there’s a first for everything.

Neil McCaughan

12th September 2019 at 4:34 pm

Leaving without a deal is the only way to re-set a situation made entirely toxic by the May-Robbins surrender agreement.

Once we are out, we can have a rational conversation on a level playing field about a Canada-style arrangement. And if the Imperial Government in Berlin doesn’t want to play, well, lots of other people make motor cars.

Michael Lynch

12th September 2019 at 11:26 pm

Boris offers an election and it’s called a right wing plot! And they say that Remainers are intellectually superior!

Eric Blair

13th September 2019 at 9:24 am

The Queen has better sources of information than any of us and knew exactly what was happening. She was not “misled” by Boris Johnson, she was his ally in a common purpose.

Eric Blair

13th September 2019 at 9:28 am

Offered an election knowing he would be turned down.Not really an offer is it?

Jerry Owen

13th September 2019 at 2:00 pm

Eric Blair
The Queen ..an ally of Boris… been polishing your new hat up ?

Jim Lawrie

12th September 2019 at 4:25 pm

Whether you like it or not:
1.) Prorogation is legal.
2.) Prorogation a prerogative of the PM, not Parliament
3.) The PM is Boris Johnson.
4.) Jeremy Corbyn bottled the chance to become PM.
5.) Try to keep up.

Harvey Setterfield

12th September 2019 at 6:23 pm

Brilliant. Glad I’m not the only one with my head screwed on lol

Eric Blair

13th September 2019 at 9:27 am

The longest proroguing for 89 years so that Boris, that details man, can prepare a better Queen’s Speech. As Joanna Cherry said even the dogs in the street know why Boris was keen to prorogue, as did the Queen who agreed. Keep up.

James Knight

12th September 2019 at 5:49 pm

Parliament is subverting Brexit and democracy. Failing to prepare for no deal is part of that, it is evidence that they never intended on the UK leaving. When they said they would uphold Brexit they were lying. They think they are masters rather than servants of the public. That is the problem.

The spectacle of MPs sulking in parliament is just a continuation of their epic 3 year sulk.

Jerry Owen

Eric Blair

A PM proposing an election, knowing fine well that two-thirds won’t back it.

Jerry Owen

13th September 2019 at 9:01 am

Eric Blair
A PM who was denied a general election as you know , don’t re write history so soon !

Philip Humphrey

12th September 2019 at 7:19 am

Unfortunately I doubt Boris Johnson will go through with no deal. He’s turned down an electoral alliance with Nigel Farage’s Brexit party and seems hell bent on getting some sort of warmed over version of Mrs May’s “deal”. He’s also “reaching out” to the 20 odd party traitors that he expelled. Again not the move of someone determined to get us clean out of the EU. I’m afraid it looks like we’re in for more delay, deadlock and muddle.

Jane 70

12th September 2019 at 6:21 am

Outsourcing to Brussels struck a chord: for years, every government has enthusiastically outsourced, privatised and down sized and now we see the end result: no one takes full responsibility for the consequences of his or her actions.

The frankly bizarre and shameful events the long suffering public has witnessed reveal the decline and fall of our political establishment: MPs refuse to put themselves up for by election, having switched allegiances; mass emoting , shouting and posturing in the HOC; double speak; threats to sue; compulsive litigation disorder : the ship of fools sails on, nailing its dodgy democratic credentials to the mast of disorder.

Now the possibility of a three way court wrangle: we vote, three years on ,no progress ,rumours of the revival of May’s vassalage-by-any-other-name and it all seems to depend now on yet another court decision.

Jane 70

William Thompson

Remarkably well written. I posted an excerpt on GF earlier – to quite a huge response – all positive.

A Game

12th September 2019 at 5:00 am

Yeah, and their bunkers will double up for the climate apocalypse when their houses are alight.

So its an interesting take. With T May, you could definitely see that there wasn’t a chance in hell that a no deal Brexit would happen and the UK would be just… not in the EU anymore. (Sorry, I think I was supposed to insert “crashed” in there.) This time around, you’re making the case that Boris J-Bird Johnson has never truly committed to no deal, and always just wanted to tinker with the existing WA, and that is what Frost’s directive has been in Brussels.

Its been the silliest thing to watch, the whole campaign that no way would BJ want a deal. Um, from everything you hear about it, everything you see, he would glory in being able to gallop into London Town, holding aloft THE DEAL. A REALLY GOOD DEAL. It was my starting point when he took over. Of course he wants one and of course he wants it to be fantastic. You wouldn’t be able to get him out of office for at least 10 years on that alone.
His public chat about being happy for no deal, as anyone vaguely cluey knew, was to put on the record that he was willing to go No Deal as a tactic against the EU. It has had resounding public support, and but for the obstacles of the Remainers, it probably all would have worked out.

Like the bloke sitting behind Vicky Pollard’s “posh” cousin, mouthing “good faith”, twice, with an incredulous expression… one can only truly hope, that any WA is off the table.

Remainer tactics have backfired so fiercely on themselves. If a WA is agreed on, even a good one, it means the period of still being in the EU, and the drawn out extraction. And like that smart bloke, everyone knows how the EU play now. Some of it is representing their own interests, but far too much of it is the punitive game-play of the disgruntled. Oops, there is a delay at Calais… sorry, so the lack of whatever is now halted at Calais, the Brits can groan about Brexit and how they should’ve remained.
It essentially keeps the UK as a plaything of the EU for however many years the agreement would state. 2 years was T May’s, yeah? To get the backstop out of the agreement, Boz might give them a 5 year withdrawal process.

Yep. Much better to just get the f**k out of dodge. And the three years wasted on a campaign to be able to remain, would actually be the cause of a No Deal Brexit.

Anna Soubry… I think I heard her declaring she has a varied social life and dines with at least four and twenty families.

SNJ Morgan

12th September 2019 at 2:22 am

Yes, but I think the $64000 question is whether a proper Brexit is achievable, in the current circumstances?

With Johnson theoretically unable to enact a ‘No-Deal’ Brexit on 31st. October, I don’t see a way forward. And it would seem that the ‘oh-so-smart’ Dominic Cummings has backed him into a corner he can’t escape from.

Maybe I’m missing something, but I can’t help being pessimistic about Boris Johnsonm achieving a proper Brexit. So the only hope for me would be Nigel Farage.

David Baynes

12th September 2019 at 6:08 am

Yes, agree that Nigel Farage is a hope for keeping the faith in public, however, over the past few months I have been looking at the Social Democratic Party who seem to have a “clean” Brexit with WTO terms for the future of trade – and a comprehensive range of domestic policies too. In the light of this, I have chucked in my Labour Party membership and joined them. Interesting to note that their conference is due in a couple of weeks and Rod Liddle along with Mr Brendan O’Neil of this parish are amongst the key note speakers. Might be worth a look for you and anyone else

Jim Lawrie

12th September 2019 at 3:33 pm

The latest ruling from the Court in Belfast tells us at least some of the judiciary understand what is off limits;

““I consider the characterisation of the subject matter of these proceedings as inherently and unmistakably political to be beyond plausible dispute.

Virtually all of the assembled evidence belongs to the world of politics, both national and supra-national.

Within the world of politics the well-recognised phenomena of claim and counterclaim, assertion and counter-assertion, allegation and denial, blow and counter-blow, alteration and modification of government policy, public statements, unpublished deliberations, posturing, strategy and tactics are the very essence of what is both countenanced and permitted in a democratic society.”

Jim Lawrie

12th September 2019 at 3:46 pm

The Bench and The Faculty of Advocates in Scotland are so close that they sit on the same pew and sing from the same hymn sheet.